Learn about this topic in these articles:

part of

epidermis

in zoology, protective outermost portion of the skin. There are two layers of epidermis, the living basal layer, which is next to the dermis, and the external
stratum corneum, or horny layer, which is composed of dead, keratin-filled cells that have migrated outward from the basal layer. The melanocytes, responsible for skin colour, are found in the basal cells. The epidermis has no blood...

integumentary system

...cells move outward and become progressively flattened. The surface cells of terrestrial vertebrates, mere remnants of once living cells, are scaly and compressed; they constitute the horny layer, or
stratum corneum. The cell fragments of the
stratum corneum are composed largely of keratin, a tough insoluble protein. In most land vertebrates the
stratum corneum is shed or molted, either...

...For much of the second trimester of gestation, the periderm consists of cells with projecting globules covered with small protrusions, or microvilli. These cells are subsequently sloughed off as the
stratum corneum is formed underneath them.

poisons and poisoning

...of tissues—the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissues—and is an effective barrier to many substances. The outer skin layer is the epidermis, containing five layers of cells. The
stratum corneum, which is the outermost epidermal layer, consists of dead cells and is the major barrier to chemical transfer through the skin. Although nonpolar chemicals cross the skin by diffusion...